A Mile in New Skin
by Sandman Cometh
Summary: (Complete) Set in WILDBRATS universe. Brett and Martin build a ray capable of copying properties from one object into another. But when Beast Boy accidentally uses it on Starfire, an unlikely transformation happens
1. Invention

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own either Titans or Simpsons. Nightstalker is mine, but he is the only thing. Please read and enjoy as well as review.

Chap. 1

Invention

"Gotcha now Greenie!" "Oh yeah, well watch this!" "Hey you can't.." "Sorry just did." "Aww damn!" cried Cyborg, as he hurled his controller to the ground, as Beast Boy's car crossed the finish line on the screen. "How'd you learn that?" he moaned. "Some of us actually read the strategy guides." Beast Boy smugly replied. "Wow, you can read?" said a voice from the couch. Frowning, the green one turned and said, "Why don't you try me, Bart?" Smiling, the spiky haired boy replied, "Sorry, I just don't have any interest in that flavor." For a moment, Beast Boy sat perplexed, the his eyes narrowed as Cyborg exploded in laughter. Bart Simpson always knew how to do stuff like that; Beast Boy didn't know why Robin didn't kick him out because of it. Still it wasn't a complete surprise given his status. Bart was in truth, a costumed adventurer known as Bartman, the leader of the super-group, the WILDB.R.A.T.S from the small town of Springfield. Made up of Bart and five other members, the BRATS had been the first group to encounter Slade. Eventually they had tracked him to Jump City and struck an alliance with the Titans in order to bring him to justice. Though they had been able to stop his scheme to become a god, he was still on the run. Therefore, the BRATS had offered to remain until Slade was stopped. So far, they were still here, albeit as trouble-makers.

"You're hilarious, you know that?" Beast Boy snapped. "I know." Bart simply replied. "Now do I get to play the winner or not?" "Saddle up, man." replied Cy, handing over the controller. As Bart sat down, Beast Boy grinned. "Get ready to be beat, loser." But before they could begin, the Tower was suddenly rocked by an explosion. The three heroes went flying as everything around them shook. Then just as quickly as it had begun, it stopped. "What the hell was that?" said Bart, as he struggled to escape form under the couch. "My seismograph says it came from the lab." Cyborg replied, as he lifted the couch up. "Aren't Brett and Martin working on something down there?" asked Beast Boy, as he carefully set the TV back up. Brett and Martin were the two genius members of the BRATS. Martin Prince was a brilliant chemist, and had been one of the few great minds at Springfield Elementary. Brett was completely different. Wile he knew much of science, he was a being of magic, a hybrid of a man and a bat. He had been the one who had actually created the WILDBRATS, giving them their powers, along with most of their equipment. Recently the two of them had been working together on some sort of project, and if anyone could create an explosion like that, they could. "You don't think they blew a hole in the wall, do you?" asked Bart. "Only one way to find out." said Cy, as he made for the door. Within minutes, Bart and Beast Boy followed.

Taking the elevator, they reached the Lab door quickly, only to be greeted when they arrived. The other Titans and BRATS were all waiting outside the door. "I don't suppose you guys know what happened?" asked Bart as he stepped out. "No more then you." replied Robin. Milhouse Van Houten, another of the BRATS, replied, "I was just watching TV and then the house shook." "I hope those guys haven't done something stupid." said fellow BRAT Nelson Muntz. "I hope they are not hurt." said Starfire. Suddenly, the door opened and Brett stuck his head out. "Oh good, you're all here." He said. Before anyone could speak, Brett rushed them all inside. Shutting the door behind them, he said, "Behold our genius." Martin stood in front them, working what seemed to be a large ray gun. Mounted on a revolving base, it had a keyboard on it's side and a large lever next to it. "Oh no, you did blow a hole in the wall, didn't you?" cried BRAT Ralph Wiggium. "Just watch." Brett replied.

Moving quickly, Brett took an apple and a soda-can from the table and placed them on two pedestals. Moving back, he placed his hand on the lever of the ray. Martin gave him the thumbs up, and the bat threw the lever. The ray glowed, and a pinpoint if bright light shot forth. It went through the apple and struck the can. For a moment, nothing happened, then it turned completely red. Seeing this, Brett shut off the machine. Everyone stared for a moment, until Starfire asked, "Oh, it is a new painting tool." "You blew stuff up for this?" asked Nelson in disbelief. Smiling, Brett took the can and tossed it to his teammate. "Take a bite out of it." he said. "Excuse me?" "Just do it." Shrugging, Nelson raised the can to his mouth and slowly took a bite. He grimaced, expecting the taste of aluminum. But within minutes, his expression changed to one of amazement. "What is it?" asked Cy. "It tastes just like an apple!" Sputtered Nelson in amazement. "Lemme try." Asked Robin. Taking a bite himself, the Titans leader promptly agreed. "However did you do this?" asked Starfire. "The ray has the ability to tae the properties of one object and copy them into another one." Explained Brett. "I've been working on it for a few years, but I could never figure out the chemical equation to do something like this." "That's where I came in." said Martin. "Thanks to my help, Brett was able to get this thing to work."

"Do you guys have any idea what you've done?" asked Beast Boy. "You mean make a device that can eliminate world hunger and the garbage problem at the same time?" ("OK you need to think up a better phrase then that." said Raven.) "Well that's true, but you've also created a really cool ray-gun! Let me do something with it." Rushing past the two of them , Beast boy began to work with the buttons, trying to remember the exact combination. "Be careful!" Martin yelled. But the green one paid no heed. Suddenly, his eyes caught of a glimpse of a large, red, button. "Wonder what that one does........."


	2. Accident

Chap. 2

Accidents

"Fire in the Hole!" Brett cried out as he ducked behind a table. Turning to look at Beast Boy, who had found shelter behind on of the consoles, he yelled "You IDOIT! When in the history of the world has pushing the big red button been a good idea?" "Hey how was I supposed to know?" the green one shot back. Still, he knew he had messed up pretty bad. The red button had actually been the 'search and destroy' button, which caused the ray to fire on every object within a five foot radius. The ray was spinning on it's base, zapping everything in sight. "Why did you guys even put that in there anyway?" he yelled back. Brett opened his mouth to reply, but then stopped, and a curious look came into his face. "Martin why did we put that in there?" he yelled back. "I don't know; you built the thing." "Ah guys?" asked Raven, hiding behind a black-energy shield. "Can we fix this,_ then_ start to place blame?" "How do we shut it down?!" Robin yelled. "You don't. Once it has hit everything, it'll assume the job was done and shut down. The ray has to hit two objects for any sort of transfer, so we're safe as long as we don't get hit. Still, there is a manual release if anyone wants to try."

"Allow me." Starfire said almost instantly. Rising into the air, the alien twisted and turned with an unbelievable grace. Speeding across the room, she avoided the rays until she finally reached the console. Safely under the cannon's fire, she called out, "What now?" "Enter in the shut-down code." Brett yelled. "It's 1-2-3-4..." "That's it?" cried Beast Boy. "You couldn't have thought up a better code?" "Please Beast Boy, not now!" said Star firmly, turning to face him.

But Star's movement cost her dearly. The cannon found her and struck her hard. Writhing in pain, she stood, stuck in the beam. "Starfire!" Robin yelled. "What's happening?" asked Bart, noticing the ray was beginning to sputter. "I don't know. I never intended to use the ray on anything that was alive. Her bio-chemistry must be overloading the circuitry; I don't know what could happen." said Brett. But the bat's words were lost on Robin. The young hero leapt across the table and ran towards his alien friend, even as Martin cried, "No Robin, don't touch her!" Robin grabbed her arm, attempting to drag her out. But then, he felt the energy flow into him. He stiffened as it seemed to drain his body of some sort of force. He heard Starfire scream in pain. Suddenly, there was a burst of sparks as the machine blew. The ray stopped and both of them fell to the ground. Robin tried to look at Star, but he could feel himself losing consciousness. The last thing he heard was Nelson's voice saying, "Holy crap, look at her!"


	3. New Skin

Chap. 3

New Skin

Blackness. No sound, no light. He didn't remember any of those things, or how he got here. He just knew he had to wake up…

"Hey, I thinks he's awake!" Ralph cried, as Robin moaned and opened his eyes. "Brilliant, Sherlock." replied Cyborg sarcastically. Brett cut in, saying "Not now guys. Robin, how do you feel?" "OK I think." said Robin, as he gingerly sat up. Looking around, he saw that he was in Starfire's room. "What happened? Where's Starfire?" he asked urgently. But the others only looked at each with apprehension. "I-I'm not sure how to say this," began Brett. "but Star.." "What happened? Is she hurt?" "Oh no, no, she's in perfect health. But Robin she's…. different now." "What do you mean?" The bat pointed over to her bed. Robin looked, and gaped in horror. She was draped out over it, like a princess in a fairy tale. But like Brett said, she was different. "How did.." "The ray. When the two of you were hit, it copied you." "Then this is.. my fault?" "Absolutely not." said Cyborg. "You were just trying to help her." "Yeah, now that's what we have to do." said Nelson.

Suddenly, there was a rustle from the bed. The heroes turned just in time to see Starfire pull herself into a sitting position. Cradling her head in her hands, she looked up and asked, "How did I get here?" "We brought you here after the ray…" began Cyborg. But the young alien cut in, "The ray! Is that why I feel so strange?" Looking down, she suddenly noticed her hands. Staring in horror, she cried, "My skin! What has happened to me?!" "Star, please calm down." begged Brett. "Just let me explain." But it was then the bat noticed her attention go to her full-length mirror. "NO! Don't look in the mirror!" He cried. But it was too late. Starfire looked and saw that her golden Tammarian skin had been replaced by _human _flesh.

"Is there anything you can do?" asked Raven, as Brett looked through the microscope. On the slide was a blood sample he had taken from Star. The young alien, now human, sat on the table, her face completely dark. Since discovering her condition, she had been in a silent depression. Robin stood by her side, offering what comfort he could. Beast Boy stood off to the side, too ashamed to even look at Star. Everyone waited with baited breath. "Well?" asked Raven. Sighing, Brett looked up and said, "Every piece of Tammarian DNA in her body's been taken apart and rebuilt as human DNA. Her powers are completely gone. I don't even know how to start to change her back." "Can't you just use the ray in reverse?" asked Milhouse. "No." replied Martin. "It's in a million pieces, and besides it doesn't have a reverse setting." "You didn't build a reverse setting?" asked Cyborg in angry disbelief. "I never intended to use it on living beings!" the bat snapped, equally angrily. Then, taking a deep breath, he calmly said, "Besides, it was the only way I could get the thing to work." "What about magic?" asked Ralph. "Mixing science and sorcery is dangerous; we could end up making it worse." said Brett. "We could rebuild the ray, but that won't work either. We'd need a Tammerian to work the transfer." "So? There's a whole planet of 'em." said Beast Boy. "Yes, but only one has been through the experiments that gave Star her powers. Only one that can turn her back all the way." "Blackfire." Star said suddenly. Brett gave a grim nod. "And there's no way the Centaris will let her go, even for this." "So there's nothing we can do?" asked Raven sadly. "I don't know." Brett replied, shaking his head. "For now, all we can do wait and hope. Martin and I will rebuild the ray, maybe we can figure something out." Robin sighed, then turning to Star said, "C'mon, let's go." One by one, each hero got up and left, except for Beast Boy, who sat alone. And one by one, each gave him a look that burned him to the depths of his being.


	4. Argument

Chap. 4

Argument

_Two days later…_

Beast Boy stood in front of the door. Gently, he rapped twice. "Who is it?" said a sad voice from the room. "It's me Star." He said. There was silence, then she replied, "What do you want?" "I-I want to apologize Star. I really screwed up and now you're suffering for it." Again silence. "Star, please open the door. I have to say this to your face." He begged. There seemed to be a deep breath from behind the door. Then she spoke in a cold, brittle voice, "I accept your apology, but you cannot come in." "Wha.. Star I _need _to say this to your face." He said. But she replied, "Beast Boy, I am no longer myself because of you. You took away the very essence of who I am. Right now, I can barely stand to listen to you. Now please, go." "But Star, I…" "GO AWAY!" she yelled harshly. A look of incredible hurt on his face, Beast Boy backed away and walked off.

"Hand me that wrench, will you Martin?" asked Brett, as he placed another bolt onto the cannon. The two of them had done impressive work over the last few days. The ray was almost halfway done, and very few parts had actually been damaged. But it didn't bring them much joy, because though they had the ray, they were no closer to finding any sort of way to reverse the effects. Martin was in fact looking over a chart of Tammerian body chemistry, hoping to find some sort of genetic reflex that might aid them. But he was coming up empty. "This is going nowhere." He sighed. Turing to his partner, he asked, "Are you sure we can't get Blackfire here?" Replacing a circuit board, the bat replied, "I tried talking with the Centari. It's not even an option. If Star was in danger of dying, they might reconsider, but since she's not, they say no." Running his hand over his face, Martin said, "What are we going to do? She hasn't come out of her room in two days, and we're not any closer to a cure. What if we have to tell her she'll be like this forever?" "At least she'd listen to you." said a new voice sadly. They turned, to see Beast Boy walk into the lab. "You tried to apologize, I take it?" asked Brett. "She wouldn't even let me in her room." "Well I really can't say I'm surprised." replied Martin. "You saw how depressed she was." "I just wish there was something I could do." the green one replied. "But I can't fix the ray, and I don't know what else I can do. How are you guys coming with it?" At that, both heroes sighed. "I'll be frank." Said Martin. "If you want to help you'd best start helping her accept being human. We don't even know if we can change her back." "Are you guys.." "Yeah." "Oh man.' he said, sitting down on a table. But then, he said, "You know, maybe it's not such a bad idea. I mean, Star's not gonna stand out in a crowd anymore. She won't get mobbed everywhere she goes. I mean, I'd want to normal again, why shouldn't she?"

At that, Martin actually backed away from Beast Boy, with a look on his face of someone who has just seen the unthinkable. Beast Boy would've asked about it, but suddenly, he felt a hand wrap around his shirt collar and drag him upward. Brett's face, twisted with anger, encompassed his view. "_Normal?!" _the bat sneered. "You think that you at least gave her that? Screw normalcy Greenie! Is this normal?" he asked, pulling at his fur. "So what if she can walk in crowds? Just because the masses think its normal doesn't mean it is. That's problem with you humans. Nothing is ever accepted until it's completely like you." Beast tried to open his mouth, but Brett cut him off. "And don't start with the green thing ok? There's a difference. You may be green, but you're still a human. Starfire never was, _and she never wanted to be!_ Just like I don't want to be! She had an identity, but you had to be an idiot, and now she doesn't have that anymore. So don't try to make yourself feel better about this, cause you don't fucking deserve it!" "Brett enough ok?" said Martin pleadingly. An angry look still on his face, Brett slowly put Beast Boy down. Turning he went back to work on the machine. Beast Boy looked at Martin, but all he got was, "He's just stressed." Once again, Beast Boy walked out of a room, feeling completely alone and rejected.

She stood at the door, surprised at what she was about to do. Normally, she was the one locked in a room, having others beg her to come out. It was weird to be on the opposite end, but if she had to do it for Starfire, then her friend really needed help. Gently knocking, Raven said, "Starfire?" "Yes, Raven?" she replied sadly. "Uh, are you going to come out of there soon?" Raven asked awkwardly. "How can I?" Star responded bitterly. "Well, I just asked cause I wanted to know if you felt like going to the mall." said Raven, though she couldn't believe she was saying it. There was silence, then the sound of footsteps towards the door. It opened a bit and Star poked her head out. "You…would take me there?" "Yeah, I guess. I mean, it might help you feel better for a little while." The empath replied. Star's eyes seemed to water for a moment, then she said, "Raven, I… thank you. I can't believe I've been this self-centered, and you still want to help me." "Well we're friends aren't we?" Raven answered. Suddenly, the door opened, and for the first time in days, Starfire walked out. "Yes, we are. Come, let us go." "Sure." Raven said, as they walked for the exit, although Raven wondered just what she was gonna do at the mall.


	5. Ambush

Chap. 5

Ambush

The mall was a large, noisy place. Filled with people shopping for every kind of item known to man, it was also hard to move in. Plus, everyone was talking loudly over each other, making it impossible to hear yourself think. Normally, this was the last place Raven would have ever wanted to go. But despite all that, she kept reminding herself, "This is for Starfire." That thought alone was still barely enough to keep her from bringing the whole place down with her powers.

Still, she had to admit, this was having a good effect on Star. She'd actually been smiling the whole time, looking around at the shops in pure happiness. _Well, at least it's not a total loss. _Raven thought as she walked by. Suddenly, she was enveloped in a horrible-smelling mist. Raven began to cough as the smell invaded her nostrils. Then she heard a voice say, "Did you like the free sample?" Trying to clear her watery eyes, Raven saw a woman standing next to her with a perfume bottle and the most obnoxious smile ever plastered onto her face. "What… is.. that?" Raven coughed out. "It's the new fragrance all the way from Paris 'Eau de la merde a éclaboussé le chien humide . It's all the rage now. Do you want a bottle, they're only $49.99?" "No." Raven replied curtly. The woman started to respond, but thankfully, Starfire chose that moment to drag Raven off to a store. As she walked off, Raven called back to the saleswoman, "Oh, and that name means smell of a wet dog covered in crap."

_Outside of the earth, a white hold suddenly cut into the fabric of space. For a moment, it held then collapsed into itself. But not before a small object managed to fly out. The object floated in space for a moment, seeming to look around at its surroundings. Then it saw Earth. Without hesitation, it began to fly towards the planet._

"Is it not adorable Raven?" asked Star, as she hugged the large stuffed lion in her arms. "Uh, sure." said Raven, who in all frankness was quite uncomfortable being in the store. For some reason, Star had dragged her into the Disney Store, and was now fawning over every stuffed toy she saw. Personally, Raven found the cutesy atmosphere extremely disturbing and she was actually starting to feel as though she was having a nervous breakdown. Just then, a couple of boys walked past them and began to stare at Starfire. However, they neglected to stop walking, and soon went face-first into the wall. "Oh, that again?" said Starfire, almost absent-mindedly. "What do you mean again?" asked Raven. "Well while you were with that lady selling perfume, a few other boys did the same thing. Why are they doing that? Is it some new… 'craze' is the right word" "Well, probably because of you." replied Raven. Star however, gasped in surprise. "Me? Oh no, am I doing something to them? Is there some sort of horrible sickness coming from me that is making them lose their focus? We have to do something!" she almost yelled, causing more then a few people to turn around and stare at her. Embarrassed by their stares, Raven quickly pulled Star aside. "Starfire, those boys think you're attractive. That's why they're doing that."

Star was quite surprised to hear that answer. "Why.. would they think that?" she asked haltingly. "You mean you've never had this happen before?" asked Raven. "Well I have had people stare at me." she replied. "But usually they were staring at my skin." "Oh." The empath replied. "Well, I guess you, well, look what they're used to now." At that, Star took another look at her hands. "I'm not different now." she said softly. "Maybe it's not so bad after all…."

_The object had broken through the atmosphere and was on a direct course. It's trajectory had it headed for the West Coast of North America. As it got closer and closer, it could start to make out landmarks. It soon saw a large T, and seemed to be headed right for it. But suddenly, it pulled hard to the left, and headed for a building in the city…._

Suddenly, Star cocked her head to the side. "Do you hear something?" "Like what?" Raven asked. "It kind of sounds like whistling…" But Star didn't get to finish, because then something seemed to explode outside the store. The impact shattered the glass windows and threw everyone in the store back into the wall. Thankfully, this caused them to miss the glass. Groaning, the two heroes tried to pull themselves out of the wreckage they were buried in. But then, there was the sounds of footsteps on the broken glass, and then an all too familiar voice say, "Hello sister-dear."


	6. Capture

Chap. 6

Capture

"C'mon, you… get in there… yes!" cried Brett triumphantly as the last panel clicked into place. Standing back, he looked at the rebuilt ray proudly. "It's finally done." he said, turning to Martin. "Yeah for all the good it's gonna do." Martin replied glumly. "You had to say that didn't you?" replied Brett. "Look, what good is that thing? I couldn't find anyway to change Star back, so it can't help us." "Yeah but being depressed about won't help either." "Oh, so you have a plan to get Blackfire here?" asked Martin sarcastically. "Actually, yes." was the reply.

Before Brett could elaborate, the doors opened and Bart and Beast Boy walked in. Or rather, Bart walked in dragging Beast Boy behind him. "What's up?" asked Martin. "Greenie here says his communicators' busted and Robin's says you guys are the best ones to look at it." Brett shrugged and said, "Well I don't have anything else to do at the moment, why not?" Walking over, he stuck out his hand for the device. Reluctantly Beast Boy handed it over looking at Brett as one would look at a loaded bomb. Sighing, Brett said, "Look, I'm sorry about before, I had no right to snap at you." "Really?" asked Beast Boy, almost incredulously. "Yes. It may have been your fault, but at least you were trying to make it right. I just... overreacted" "Ah thanks, I think." Beast Boy replied not wanting to rock the boat again. "Now then, let's take a look at this." Brett opened the communicator and began to look through it's circuitry. Finally, he paused and said, "Here's the problem. The circuits are clogged. Martin hand me the mini-vac." Martin quickly handed the bat a small tube. Working with a surgeon's skill, Brett quickly began to clean the device. "Hey Brett, what's this?" asked Bart, holding up a metal wristband that was laying on the. "A DNA-lock bracelet" said the bat, not looking up from his work. "It can to track beings by their very genetic structure. It's also a great targeting device." Shutting it, he handed back to Beast Boy. "How'd you know something was wrong anyway?" Martin asked. At this Beast Boy actually looked surprised. "I started to get a signal on it, but then it cut. I'd better try to get it back." Quickly he began to activate it and search the frequencies.

Within seconds, Raven's voice blasted out of the device. "What took you?" she cried. Then the sounds of explosions filled the room. "Rae, what's happening? Where are you" asked Brett. "The mall, with Starfire. We're under attack!." "Indeed. By who?" asked Bart. "It's Blackfire!" Raven yelled, but then there was another blast and the line went dead.

The four heroes stood looking at each other. "I thought you said she couldn't get out." said Bart. "I said the Centaris wouldn't let her out. But she can certainly break out on her own." "Who cares, we gotta move!" cried Beast Boy. "There's no way Raven can fight off Blackfire by herself." "Not just that." continued Martin. "But now we might be able to change Star back. Hell this is probably our only chance!" "Then what are waiting for? Move, monkeys!" yelled Bart. Brett ran to the ray and began to collapse the stand, making it easier to carry. Brett quickly folded up the rest of the ray, turning it into a smaller, more compact version of itself. "Get the others and let's run!" he yelled. The three BRATS quickly ran out the door. But moments later, Bart stuck his head in and yelled, "Beast Boy you coming?" The green one looked up from the counter-top and said, "Sure." He rapidly followed the others out.

"Repeat the mall is under attack, please exit in a calm and orderly fashion….." With a burst of sparks, the amp exploded. Pulling back her glowing hand, Blackfire smiled maliciously and said, "Have you ever noticed how that never works?" Raven stood silently, trying to shield Starfire with her cloak. Slowly, Blackfire began to walk towards them. "Raven, it's been awhile hasn't it?" "Not as long as I'd hoped." The empath replied. "Ah, I'd forgotten the wonderful sarcasm you do so well. Now then, we both know what I want. Why don't you just hand over my sister and we'll call it even?" "How about no?" was the answer. "OK, then." replied Blackfire. Without warning, she whirled around and blasted one of the guardrails on the upper levels. There was a mess of plaster and dust, but there were screams as well. The dust cleared and Raven saw, to her horror, that there were a couple of kids hanging onto the edge, but just barely. A couple of people tried to pull them up, but blasts from Blackfire pushed them back. Turning back to them, she said, "It's your choice. Now give me what I want! And don't think about trying to save them, because we both know you can't focus on me and them at the same time!"

Raven bit her lips in frustration. She knew Blackfire was right, but she couldn't just hand Star over. There had to be another way. However, before she could figure one out, Starfire moved in front of her and said, "All right sister you win." "What are you doing?" the empath whispered. "I can't let anyone get hurt because of me." was the reply. Blackfire hovered down, an expression of complete disbelief on her face. But as she looked t her sister more and more, it became one of utter laughter. "I don't believe it!" she gasped, clutching her sides. "I never thought that you would ever make yourself this pathetic." "Sister please. I am surrendering, now will you please let them go?" Wiping her eyes, Blackfire said, "You're right, I should do that." Then without warning, she blasted Raven, throwing the empath into the wall and knocking her unconscious. Star attempted to help her, but Blackfire grabbed her and, whipping her sister around, caught her in a headlock, with a glowing hand pointed to her face. "You see, I never actually said I would do that." she snarled. "Now then, it's time to end this little rivalry. Thanks for making it so much easier to do."


	7. Resolution

Chap. 7

Resolution

She tried to steel herself, to ready her body for death as she had been taught to. Though she would not die as a Tammerian, she would at least die like one. But she could feel the fear rise up in her body, in her soul. She tired to fight it back, but there was not time. The energy shot forth from Blackfire's hand, and ran across her face. Her skin blistered and burned, the pain was an endless screech. As the life ebbed form her, Starfire only wished that it would be over quickly….

Or rather, she would have, if this had played out in the real world, and not in her panicked imagination. What did happen was as Blackfire was about to end her sister's life, her hand had suddenly been frozen into a block of ice. Then before she could react, a thousand decibels of sound had blasted her across the room, breaking her grip on Star. The next then she knew, Robin was holding her. "Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded, too surprised to speak. "Don't worry we'll take care of it. Where's Raven?" "Over by the wall." Star answered. "Whimpernel, Cyborg, go check on her!" Robin yelled, as always acting the leader.

Meanwhile, the others were attempting to use the ray on Blackfire, which was easier said then done. The young girl was more agile then Starfire was, and far faster. The ray's bema hit wallspace after wall space, as they tried to force her to stand still. Oh for God's sake, just use that kill mode again." snapped Heatstrike. "No, if she gets changed, we'll have no chance of changing Star back." Replied Nightstalker, as he grimly focused back on the ray. But suddenly, Blackfire extended her arms and a huge wave of purple energy shot forth from her. It knocked everyone back and threw the ray up into the air. But Blackfire swiftly caught it. Landing near Robin and Starfire, she began to walk towards the, Robin leapt up to defend Star, but a bolt from Blackfire knocked him out. Kneeling down, Blackfire pulled her sister up by the hair, then put her into a headlock. "So, who might know how to work this thing?" She asked. "Pity, the seem to be out of it right now. Oh wait,…" Suddenly, she whirled around and blasted a green mouse that had been scurrying across the floor. It quickly reverted back into Beast Boy.

"But I-I don't know how to work it." Beast Boy stammered. "Well you'd better learn fast, or else I'll show you how a Tammerian fares under 300 K of heat." Blackfire snarled, a glowing hand ready to fry him. "Beast Boy,.. no." Starfire murmured. But Blackfire's fist was her only response. "Show me how this thing works. First I'll turn all of you into plastic, then the rest of the planet will feel my power! No one will be able to stop me!" Blackfire cackled, completely caught up in her obsession. Beast Boy looked on, a sad and tortured look on his face. "I-I'm sorry Star, I can't let her kill you." "Good choice." replied Blackfire, as tears began to run down her sister's cheek. Slowly, Beast walked over to the ray. Un-flipping the control panel, he looked at the panel, then pointed to a single button. "That's the trigger." he said dejectedly. Blackfire hovered over, keeping her sister in her grasp. "This blue one?" she asked. The shapeshifter nodded. "You wouldn't be trying to trick me, would you?" she asked. He shook his head. "Good." Quickly, she turned the ray onto the unconscious form of Robin. "I think you'd like to see him go first, right sister?" she asked. Extending her finger, she pressed the button.

The ray's cannon glowed yellow. Slowly the energy inside it gathered, preparing to fire. "I wonder if he'll become linoleum or if I'll get to pick something out." Blackfire said, almost joyfully. As the ray reached its zenith, Starfire closed her eyes, not wanting to see what was about to happen. Blackfire however did, and reached to force her sister's eyes open. But as she stretched her arm out, Beast Boy suddenly snaked out and clamped a metal band onto her wrist. "What is this?"! Blackfire snarled. "Proof you shouldn't trust me." Beast Boy answered, as he activated the DNA tracker. Almost instantly, the ray swiveled around on its stand. Before Blackfire could move, the ray bathed both sisters in its light. Beast could hear Blackfire scream in pain and anger. Then there was a blast of green light and she went flying out of the beam. Finally, the ray deactivated, leaving in plain view, the once again golden-skinned Starfire. Turing to look at Beast Boy, she said, "That was brilliant, how did you.." "Oh just sudden genius." He answered with a trace of smugness. "Thank you." Starfire replied, as she looked down at herself happily. "Now then,.." she said turning back to Blackfire, "I believe you and I had unfinished business sister."

The two aliens charged each other hard, as their struggle rose into the air. All the years of sibling rivalry had boiled over in this final fight. Starfire blasted Blackfire. Blackfire rammed Star into the wall. Star grabbed her sister's hair and threw her through the wall. Blackfire wrapped her legs around Star and drove her into the wall with her. Star pulled herself out, then grabbed Blackfire's leg and swung her into the floor. Of course, while all this was going on, Beast Boy was doing the only thing a man should do during a cat-fight; get the hell out of the way and let them go at it. He however, was also going to check on his unconscious comrades. Nightstalker and Neuron were closest, so he quickly began to try to wake them up. "Guys, come on, wake up." He pleaded as he shook them frantically. Finally, he was rewarded with a groan and Nightstalker slowly sitting up. "What happened?" he muttered, rubbing his head. Then he noticed the wave of destruction that was happening over his head. "Did you.." he began to ask. "Yep." Replied Beast Boy. The Elemental stared for a minute, then just shook his head. "I don't know how, but good job."

Suddenly jerking his head to the side to avoid a piece of rubble that was flying across the room, Nightstalker said, "Perhaps we should do something about those two." "Like what?" asked Beast Boy. "I don't know, but the mall's gonna send us one hell of a clean-up bill if we don't stop 'em soon." "I think they'll be doing that already." Replied Beast Boy. As a billboard flew over their heads, 'Stalker replied, "Oh, I don't want to think about what that's gonna cost." "Hey look!" said Beast Boy. The two heroes turned to see Star and Blackfire, finally pausing in their attack. Both stood there, exhausted, but completely unwilling to fall to the other. "I'm going… to end… this sister." Blackfire panted. "Before.. you do…" replied Star. "I was.. the one… who poured….. grinta juice….into your hairspray…. when you were at the….. Aleta ball." Apparently, this was enough to end the exhaustion, as Blackfire roared and charged her sister with the look of an enraged tiger. But before she reached her, a green tentacle shot out and wrapped itself around her. Looking up, Starfire saw a red-and-gray-armored figure. "You will not escape again, Prisoner Blackfire." The Centari guard stated. "I was wondering when you guys would show up." said Nightstalker, walking up to them. "We will take her back to prison, and put her under the most strict security detail. Perhaps some time in the mess hall will straighten her out." "Wait." Said Star. "Aren't the Centari mess halls full of the Encon root and Zper plant, which cause an incredible amount of stench and filth?" The guard nodded. "Have fun sister." Though the guard's tendril was firmly wrapped around her mouth, Blackfire let loose with a torrent of obscenities, which though not enunciated, came across easily enough. Ignoring her, the guard pressed a button on his gauntlet, and the two of them disappeared. "Well, that went well." said Stalker. "Now, let's get the others up and take the ray back to the Tower." "So you're gonna lock it up?" asked Beast Boy. "Are you kidding? After all this, I'm gonna make sure no ever gets it again. And I I'm gonna do with a sledgehammer. Hell you caused all this by accident, imagine what some one could do on purpose." With that, he knelt down and began to wake up Bartman. Turning back to Starfire, Beast Boy asked, "Can I apologize now?" "It's all right Beast Boy. To be honest, once I got used to it, I actually enjoyed being human." Starfire replied. "It was nice not to be stared at for once." "I guess, but still,…" "Beast Boy, you made a mistake but you fixed it. That's what matters now. I have to admit, that was a fairly smart trick." "Really? Could you say that again when Raven wakes up?"

**THE END**


End file.
